Page 144 - MALAYSIA HEALTH SECTOR RESPONSE TO COVID-19 PANDEMIC: PERSPECTIVES FROM THE FIELD

workers with an approved allocation of RM200 million 55-56 . Operational since
27th April 2020, this programme had been utilised by a total of 261,854
employees from 10,070 companies nationwide .
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The first phase of the SOCSO PSP targeted at providing free COVID-19
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screening for employees who worked in high-risk zones . Starting from 22nd
October 2020 onwards, the SOCSO PSP was extended to all contributors
residing in Sabah, Selangor, the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur,
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Putrajaya, and Labuan, which were placed under CMCO following a surge
in COVID-19 cases.

The rocketing number of COVID-19 cases involving foreign workers,
particularly at factories and construction sites during the third wave,
prompted the government to make it compulsory for all foreign workers to
undergo the COVID-19 RTK- Ag screening test from 1st December 2020 .
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SOCSO would only bear the cost of the test kit (RM60) for the initial test,
after which the employers would have to pay for the cost of the clinic or
hospital services . As for foreign workers who were not SOCSO contributors,
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the employers would have to bear both the cost of the clinic or hospital
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services and the cost of the screening test .

Figure 6.11: The Social Security Organisation (SOCSO) Prihatin Screening
Programme (PSP) (Source: Homepage SOCSO )
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Once made compulsory since 1st December 2020, the first stage of the
SOCSO PSP involved Klang and Seremban, followed by red zones in other
districts in Selangor, Kuala Lumpur, and Penang starting 9th December
2020. Then, it was broadened to involve state-wide screening in Sabah and
Labuan, and other districts in Selangor, Penang, and Negeri Sembilan
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starting 16th December 2020 . Foreign workers who tested positive had
been admitted to the PKRC at the Malaysian Agro Exposition Park Serdang
in Selangor and Port Dickson Polytechnic in Negeri Sembilan 62,63 .

108 STRIKING THE BALANCE BETWEEN ECONOMY AND HEALTH

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